Average UK energy usage
Guide · updated 2026-08-23
Ofgem publishes typical domestic consumption values that every energy comparison in the country is quietly based on. Knowing yours is the first step to knowing whether a quote is any good.
The benchmark figures
Medium electricity works out at about 7.4 kWh a day, which is the default this site uses for anyone who has not connected an account. Connect one and it switches to your own measured average instead.
- Low usage — around 1,800 kWh of electricity and 7,500 kWh of gas a year. A flat or a one-bedroom home, one or two people.
- Medium usage — around 2,700 kWh of electricity and 11,500 kWh of gas a year. A two-to-three bedroom house, two or three people. This is the household in every price cap headline.
- High usage — around 4,100 kWh of electricity and 17,000 kWh of gas a year. Four or more bedrooms, four or more people.
These are averages, and averages hide a lot
A house with electric heating and no gas can use 8,000-15,000 kWh of electricity a year — three to five times the "high usage" benchmark — while using no gas at all. Add an electric car and 3,000-4,000 kWh a year goes on top. A heat pump household typically lands somewhere between the two.
If your consumption is far above the benchmark, that is not automatically a problem: it usually means electric heating, an EV, or a much larger house. It is only a warning sign when nothing explains it, which is worth investigating — a failing immersion heater thermostat can quietly add hundreds of pounds a year.
Finding your own number
Your annual consumption is on your bill, and Octopus records it as an EAC — Estimated Annual Consumption — against your meter point. Divide by 365 for a daily figure and compare with the list above.
A measured average beats an estimate. If you connect an Octopus account here, the usage page builds a daily and half-hourly average from your actual readings, and compare uses that rather than a national figure when ranking tariffs.
Common questions
What is the average electricity usage per UK household?
Ofgem's typical medium household uses about 2,700 kWh of electricity a year, roughly 7.4 kWh a day. Low usage is around 1,800 kWh and high usage around 4,100 kWh.
What is the average gas usage per UK household?
Around 11,500 kWh a year for a typical medium household, with low usage near 7,500 kWh and high usage near 17,000 kWh.
How much electricity does an electric car add?
Typically 3,000-4,000 kWh a year for average mileage, which can more than double a household's electricity consumption.
See it on your own numbers. halfhourly.uk shows live half-hourly prices for every GB region for free, and if you connect an Octopus account it prices your own smart-meter readings against every tariff.